New DC for OSU

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Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was named today as the new DC at Ohio State. Photo by Pat Kinnison/Pokes Report.

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Apparently Ryan Day is not waiting until after the entirety of the 2021 football season has been completed to send a message to his current defensive coordinator(s): you will not be calling the shots next year.

On Tuesday evening, Ohio State's head coach released an official statement that Kerry Coombs will not retain his current title of DC and Matt Barnes will not be elevated as such.

Instead, Day apparently went searching on the sly for a replacement and found one in Oklahoma State's current defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, who has accepted.

The full statement read:

I have offered a position on the Ohio State football staff to Oklahoma State University defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and he has accepted it. Starting Jan. 2, Knowles will be the Buckeyes’ new defensive coordinator. What is most important at this time is that we put our players in the best position possible to finish this season with a win in the Rose Bowl. To that end, we will continue our planning and preparation for the game with our current staff of 10 assistant coaches.

The Cowboys (11-2, 8-1 Big 12) are coming off a loss to Baylor (11-2, 7-2 Big 12) in the Big 12 championship game on Saturday are ranked ninth in the country. Despite the loss, they still earned a New Year's Six invite and will play No. 5 Notre Dame (11-1) in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day at 1 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.

Columbus Wired will continue to update on this story as more information becomes available.